Even as a boy, I have always been fascinated with the idea of creating energy. This nagging feeling growing up that there is a magic combination of magnets, springs, pendulums, and gravity, all in a special configuration to create a machine that exists in a balance and can run a very long time.

This machine is a great example of just that idea. Remarkably engineered, it still can not escape the conservation of energy that will eventually bring the magnets to lose their magnetism as well as the friction that will wear away parts. For these reasons, the machine’s motion will eventually come to an end. There is also no evidence the ball can drive a mechanical linkage to generate excess power without giving up a lot of energy. Maybe traversing a tunnel of coils could solve that problem? But I suspect even then, eddy currents in the copper will slow the ball further and ruin the balance.

That said, even with these caveats, it still seems brilliant in its design and wonderful for inspiring further thought.